Alien at the Movies

Challengers

This is a tale of two boys, Art & Patrick (Mike Faist & Josh O’Connor). They were best buddies, tennis players, & sometimes doubles partners. Then they meet rising tennis phenom Tashi Duncan (Zendaya). She is cool, confident, & controlling. The boys become lovesick puppies fawning & drooling over her but she plays it aloof & pits each guy against the other. This becomes a ménage à trios love story. One day, a severe knee injury ends Tashi’s career in the sport & she must redirect her passion for tennis. Coaching keeps her in the game. Like watching a tennis match with the ball rallying over & over the net, this story is told bouncing from present to past & back again & again feeding the audience just a relationship snippet at time. This film gimmick doesn’t help convey story clearly, just feels more disjointed. The three main characters being unlikeable doesn’t help the movie either. Filmmakers unsuccessfully try to make a seductive & sensual film with its steamy sauna scene, full frontal & butt shots, as well as gratuitous face sucking moments. The drama come down to match point moments in the final game between the boys. It becomes more of a chess match as Art & Patrick strategize & read the signals. This a competition of tennis & love. Who will win? Who will lose? Will there be any winners?

Alien gives it 2 “telltale service” stars out of 4.

Abigail

What starts off as a kidnap/ransom film takes a deadly detour when the kidnappers learned that their 12-year-old kidnap victim, Abigail, isn’t what she appears to be. This team of seven, each with particular skill sets necessary to pull off the heist, was hired by Lambert (fake name). The little girl, with a passion for ballet, appears to be from a rich family. Lambert promises to split the $50 million ransom equally among themselves. They just have to babysit Abigail for a bit. Over third of the film has elapsed & nothing seems unusual except for this creepy old mansion that team are holdup in. They have rules to follow in order to protect their identities in case something goes wrong. If you have seen the trailer or know anything about the film, you likely know already that Abigail is really a vampire & the tables get turned. This apparent reboot of Dracula’s Daughter then shifts gears to horror mode but with a sense of humor as the Scooby Gang tries to figure out how to kill a vampire. Test your knowledge of vampire legend, truth or fiction? The plot starts playing ten little Indians as the crew gets picked off one by one with fear & paranoia running rampant since there is no honor among thieves. Who will survive? Be careful in the bloody splash zone. Surprise plot twists add to the confusion. Will Abigail return for a sequel or will someone drive a wooden stake through her heart? Who wins in this battle between good & evil?

Alien gives it 3 “pinky promise” stars out of 4.

The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare

It’s World War II meets the Magnificent Seven meets the Dirty Dozen meets Mission Impossible in this action comedy written & directed by Guy Ritchie and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer based on real events from the confidential files of Winston Churchill. Seeking to sabotage Nazi Germany’s U-boat operations based in West Africa, Churchill covertly enlists a team of seven highly skilled operatives but they had questionable backgrounds. A femme fatale weapons expert, a demolitionist, a bow & arrow specialist, a ship pilot, a strategist, & their leader are among the team members. This enjoyable thriller is about what you’d expect from these filmmakers. This black ops team makes their way in to position but must improvise when they encounter unforeseen problems. How successful will their mission be or will they have to abort. Henry Cavill, Alan Ritchson, Henry Golding, Alex Pettyfer, & Cary Elwes are among the cast. See photos & summaries of these real characters portrayed at the film’s end.

Alien gives it 3 “we got good news & bad news” stars out of 4.

Civil War

This is a future dystopian story about four journalists traveling in a war zone trying to get their big scoop. Lee (Kristen Dunst) is a battle scarred veteran photo journalist. Jessie is a young & very eager novice. Sammy is an ancient dinosaur who is barely fit to take on this extremely dangerous mission. Joel is also a seasoned veteran. Through their horrendous journey & conversations, we learn about them & their line of work. The kicker here is this takes place in America where a second civil war has broken out between the authoritarian United States government & the various secessionist movements spawned across the country, not in some third world country. This an extremely violent film with political issues to which some may take offense. This film can be polarizing & some may take it too personal. The true story here is these civilian characters & their dedication to their job; not the fictitious background story. Aside from the intense drama & violence, I️ did enjoy film’s photographic imagery, the composition of the shots, the balance, & the depth of field. If you are looking for a war story told through the soldiers’ perspective, you may be disappointed. With the wrong expectations, you may not get the film’s message & may not enjoy the film.

Alien gives it 3 “getting the money shot” stars out of 4.

The First Omen

This is the prequel to the 1976 “The Omen” with shades of “Rosemary’s Baby”. In 1971, American novitiate, Margaret, is sent to Rome to work at a Catholic Church orphanage. There, she becomes involved into a sinister conspiracy to bring about the birth of the Antichrist. She focuses her attention on a peculiar young girl, Carlita, who has visions, seems to be deemed as bad or evil, & often needs to be isolated from the others. As the plot thickens, fear makes you suspect everyone & jump scares heighten the moments. Who will perish & who will survive by the conclusion. See how this story ties to “The Omen” & whether this film might spin off another sequel.

Alien gives it 3 “Scianna” stars out of 4.

Hunger

When cook Aoy at a simple noodle house gets invited to be interviewed for a job as a sous chef for the prestigious renown Chef Paul, her life turns around. Her father runs the family business passed down for generations, she is the oldest sibling, & is expected to take over the business. However, this was a great once in a life time opportunity she could not refuse. Chef Paul is an arrogant demanding boss that sets extremely high standards. She struggles to elevate her skills to meet his standard but she works hard & becomes acceptable. But ultimately, they don’t see eye to eye on an issue & she quits. When a new opportunity arises, she thrives, becomes successful, but becomes more & more like her mentor. Eventually, Aoy comes into direct competition with Chef Paul. Where lies Aoy’s future? Can she beat her old mentor? Has she become just like him? Will she find her happiness? 

Alien gives it 3 “crybaby noodles” stars out of 4.

The Greatest Hits

Harriet (Lucy Boynton) discovers that certain songs can transport her back in time literally. She relives the past through her romantic memories with her former boyfriend Max (David Corenswet). In the present, she is still grieving over Max’s death in a car accident that also put her in a coma for a week, is on medication, & attends an emotional support group. She has isolated & limited her life because she emotionally can’t move on. This is a quirky romantic comedy fantasy. She believes she actually can travel back in time & possibly can alter what happens. Can she save her boyfriend from dying? Or is she just delusional from the head trauma & her meds? Yeah, she sounds nuts. Then one day she meets the new guy, David (Justin H. Min), at her support group. He is infatuated with her & she is attracted to him too but she is still haunted by her dead boyfriend. She also constantly wears headphones because certain songs will transport her into the past leaving her body passed out in the present. Weird, right? Harriet takes us on emotional rollercoaster journey through time as she makes her history changing decision that will effect her future. This is a touching story for those who have loved & lost.

Alien gives it 3 “fainting spell” stars out of 4.

Monkey Man

An anonymous young man (Dev Patel) ekes out a meager living participating in an underground fight club where he is paid to take a bloody beating from the popular fighters night after night while he wears a gorilla mask. Meanwhile, he harbors the physical & emotional scars from his tragic past as he suppresses his anger & rage. This is a slow burn story of vengeance that is hard to visualize where the plot is headed early on. He stealth fully plots his way to infiltrate into the world of the socially elite to get close to those who wronged him & his family. Then all hell breaks out as he explosively lashes out at his enemies “John Wick” style, brutally bloody in hand-to-hand combat. His courage & strength were inspired by the Indian monkey deity legend told to him by his mother when he was just a child.  In his quest for revenge, he becomes the savior symbol for the poor & powerless against the corrupt leaders. In addition to outstandingly playing the lead, Patel makes a brilliant directorial debut. The film is dark, intense, & violently stunning. The movie is also rich in Indian culture.

Alien gives it 3 “VIP Room” stars out of 4.

Musica 

A young man, Rudy (Rudy Mancuso), is trying figure out his life. He constantly hears music, rhythms, & harmonies in his head. He is a musician & puppeteer. Born & raised in Newark, New Jersey, he lives with his mom, who tries to set him up with a girl from their culture, Brazilian. He has an amiga girlfriend, Haley. At the fish market, he is attracted to one of the workers, Isabelle (Camille Mendes). This a coming of age romantic comedy musical. Mancuso is also the director, writer, & composer for film. His style is creatively inventive & unconventional, which made the movie more enjoyable for me.

Alien gives it 2½ “Fish Face” stars out of 4.

Dune: Part 2

Picking up at the end of 2021’s Dune: Part 1, it’s the Battle for the Planet of Spice Melange with emperor supported hi-tech troops versus the sand worm riding rebel scum. Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) & Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) have teamed up with Stilgar (Javier Bardem), Chani (Zendaya), & the Fremen against the House of Harkonnen after the House of Atreides is nearly wiped out. The Fremen are suspicious that the Atreides outsiders may be spies. Some believe in the mother/son prophecy of being their saviors & some believe it’s just a made up Atreides lie to gain control over Arrakis. What will be the fate of Arrakis? Josh Brolin, Dave Bautista, & Stelllan Skarsgård return with Christopher Walken, Florence Pugh, & Austin Butler added to the cast. Butler especially creepy as the Bain’s psycho nephew. Great acting, tremendous action, interesting cultures, & terrific script will you on the edge of your seat. By the end after some twists, audiences will be hoping for a Part 3.

Alien gives it 3½ “Water of Life” stars out of 4.